Cespedes

[Edgy MD]

The 2016 rotation lives another day..

[willpie]

TransMonk wrote: I like this deal better than the Gomez non-deal.

I'll drink to that.

[metsmarathon]

I heart sandy alderson

[Centerfield]

Can he be here by gametime?

[Guest d'Kong76]

Centerfield wrote: Can he be here by gametime?

Wilpon's got him on a Greyhound leaving a little later. Should be
available Sunday.

[Frayed Knot]

So it's Cespedes for the rest-a-des ... year.

After that, even though just in his 4th ML season, he can NOT be offered arbitration by his current team nor can the team make a qualifying offer to him (plus the mid-season trade took care of that anyway) so this is a 60 game trial run. Can sign him to a FA contract this winter of course but so can everyone else. This deal also means he'll be on his 4th team in the previous 366 days (assuming he suits up by tomorrow). A year ago today he was traded from Oakland to Boston who took an instant dislike to him and dealt him to Detroit in the off-season.

But for right now he hits, he fields, he throws, he runs a bit but rarely walks and our OF and lineup just got a bit better.
Now let's get Wright, Cuddyer, Matz & Blevins back and take the fuckin' division.

[ashie62]

One helluva addition. Didn't give up too much for him as I haven't seen Fulmer or Cessa on any industry hot sheets.

Cespedes is likely a rental but I will dare to dream.

[Zvon]

d'Kong76 wrote: Centerfield wrote: Can he be here by gametime? Wilpon's got him on a Greyhound leaving a little later. Should be available Sunday.

I have told this joke to at least a dozen people.

[Chad ochoseis]

Frayed Knot wrote: After that, even though just in his 4th ML season, he can NOT be offered arbitration by his current team nor can the team make a qualifying offer to him (plus the mid-season trade took care of that anyway) so this is a 60 game trial run. Can sign him to a FA contract this winter of course but so can everyone else.

But http://www.blessyouboys.com/2015/7/31/9077995/yoenis-cespedes-trade-mets-tigers says

The team that releases Cespedes is not eligible to sign him until May 15, 2016, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Given Cespedes' desire to test the free agent market, this makes it unlikely that the Mets will be able to re-sign him after the season.

So, am I reading this correctly? If Cespedes hits 30 home runs over the remainder of the season and both Wilpons hit the lottery, we still can't offer him $500 million during the off-season to make him a Met until the zombie apocalypse, because he can't re-sign with us until about the 35th game of 2016? Meaning that it's nearly a foregone conclusion that Cespedes will not be a Met next year?

[Edgy MD]

So two players were rumored to be dealt. One openly wept in public at the thought of it, and the other personally called the GM to ask not to be included in any deals.

Maybe it's not the worst organization to be a part of after all.

[Frayed Knot]

Chad Ochoseis wrote: After that, even though just in his 4th ML season, he can NOT be offered arbitration by his current team nor can the team make a qualifying offer to him (plus the mid-season trade took care of that anyway) so this is a 60 game trial run. Can sign him to a FA contract this winter of course but so can everyone else. But http://www.blessyouboys.com/2015/7/31/9077995/yoenis-cespedes-trade-mets-tigers says The team that releases Cespedes is not eligible to sign him until May 15, 2016, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Given Cespedes' desire to test the free agent market, this makes it unlikely that the Mets will be able to re-sign him after the season. So, am I reading this correctly? If Cespedes hits 30 home runs over the remainder of the season and both Wilpons hit the lottery, we still can't offer him $500 million during the off-season to make him a Met until the zombie apocalypse, because he can't re-sign with us until about the 35th game of 2016? Meaning that it's nearly a foregone conclusion that Cespedes will not be a Met next year?

I certainly didn't know that.
Wondering now if that's something which is unique to Cespedes's contract or if there was some recent change where non-tendering a player (which is essentially what the Mets would be doing to Cespedes even though forced to do it) means you're out of the FA game for that guy until six weeks into the following season in what I can only assume is an attempt to prevent clubs from trying to pull an off-season end-run around the 20% cut rule. Probably the latter cuz I can't figure out why it would be specific to Cespedes.

[MFS62]

Nymr83 wrote: Actually they're not - at least not this season anyway where his .319 OBP clocks in at a few ticks above league average. What folks need to realize is that this isn't turn of the century baseball anymore when .340-ish OBPs were the norm. it is true that the league OBP is down, but 1) i think he'll finish under his current number 2) its higher for starting outfielders (.325 or so for outfielders)

And, given the team's needs for someone who actually can drive in runs in the middle of the lineup, I think they need a hitter who trots rather than walks.

Later

[seawolf17]

He has to replace Campbell on the roster, no?

[Edgy MD]

I think the other two options are Nobody and Unless Somebody Gets Hurt.

[Ceetar]

I don't see anything on Cots about the may 15th rule, that sounds like an old rule.

But in reality, if the Mets do want to re-sign him and Cespedes is game, they can just void the existing contract and sign a new one, that's generally how these things work right? If there really is a May 15th rule tied to releasing a player they'd have to do this prior to the end of the season though to prevent that from kicking in.

[Edgy MD]

Cespedes brings some Josh Satin-like eyebrow drama with him.

[Zvon]

Edgy MD wrote: Cespedes brings some Josh Satin-like eyebrow drama with him.

Do you think that's a unibrow and he shaves?

[metirish]

Could not be happier with this trade , as noted above I like it better than the gomez non trade. I would have bet anything that Wheeler would have been in this deal , their GM loves Fulmer and we have lost a lot of minor league pitchers this week but you need to give them up to get guys like this......

[nymr83]

Shocked they gave Fullmer up for 2 months of anyone, I guess the pressure to make it look like they care finally won out

[Frayed Knot]

An assessment of Fulmer & Cessa by prospect guru John Sickels:

Michael Fulmer, RHP: The Mets drafted Fulmer in the supplemental first round* in 2011 from high school in Edmond, Oklahoma. He has been generally effective in the minor leagues when healthy and has been excellent so far in 2015, posting a 1.88 ERA in 86 innings over 15 starts for Binghamton in the Double-A Eastern League, with an 83/23 K/BB and just 70 hits allowed. This is a considerable improvement over his 3.97 ERA, 86/31 and 112 hits in 95 innings last year in High-A.
Fulmer is listed at 6-3, 200, age 22. He has been dogged by nagging injuries for much of his career, particularly knee problems that limited him to 46 innings in 2013. There is little doubt about the stuff: Fulmer can hit 95 with the fastball, both his curveball and slider can be above-average, and his change-up is an adequate fourth option. His command has steadily improved.
Some scouts view Fulmer as a future reliever for durability concerns but he has the stuff to be a starter and it increasingly looks like he has the command as well. He's posted an 18/1 K/BB in his last two starts and looks ready for a Triple-A trial. A healthy Fulmer looks like a potentially strong number three starter.


Luis Cessa, RHP: Born in Mexico, Cessa was signed in 2008, originally as a third baseman. He couldn't hit however so he converted to pitching in 2010 with good results, moving slowly but steadily up the Mets farm ladder. He's been very effective this year in Double-A (2.56, 61/17 K/BB in 77 innings) but has found the going more difficult in the unforgiving environment of Las Vegas and the Pacific Coast League (8.51 ERA, with a nice 24/4 K/BB but 40 hits in 24 innings).
Cessa is listed at 6-3, 190, age 23. He can hit 96 in short stretches but more commonly works at 90-92. He throws strikes but reports on his secondary pitches vary depending on the source: some reliable observers say he has a very good change-up but needs to enhance his breaking ball, while other also-reliable observers say his breaking stuff is solid enough but his change-up needs work. I guess you can say he's inconsistent with the secondary pitches.
Despite his rough early outings in Triple-A, Cessa has major league arm strength and throws strikes. If he can round out his full arsenal he can be a back-end starter or a solid bullpen option.




* the Pedro Feliciano signing with the Yanx pick

[Edgy MD]

Nymr83 wrote: Shocked they gave Fullmer up for 2 months of anyone, I guess the pressure to make it look like they care finally won out

Maybe they don't want to look like they care, so much as they want to win.

No money came with Cespedes either.

[Vic Sage]

i'll be good with this if it works and pissed if it doesn't (especially if Fulmer or Cessa eventually becomes something), just like everybody else here.

[TransMonk]

Adam Rubin quoting Yoenis Cespedes wrote: "I don't know what the front office is thinking about. But with what I see so far, I would love for everything to work out and stay as a Met for a long, long time, because I like the atmosphere."

Cespedes getting in on the love. Hard to see the front office reeling him in long-term, though.

[RealityChuck]

Two things have to happen for there to be a chance:

1. The team must be willing to commit the money -- at least as much as they're paying Wright, and probably more.
2. Cespedes must be willing to waive a portion of that clause that makes him a free agent five days after the WS. He can agree to make it 30 days so they can negotiate.

#1 is the big hurdle. The team has $11 million coming off the books if Colon doesn't come back (I doubt they'll ask him), and another $8 million if they don't bring back Murphy. There's also the $2 million they saved on Mejia's salary. So they should be able to afford one year, but things get sticky after that.

[Edgy MD]

They'll also have untold fortunes in the form of post-season revenue. But it's probably a problem for another day.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

The only reason these rules apply to Cespedes is to allow him to be a free agent and get the best offer he can. He's not going to limit himself to only one suitor no matter how much he says he likes it.

Not that all that won't prevent this turning into a Lousy Cheapass Wilpons story.

[Frayed Knot]

Getting a long way ahead of ourselves here, but I don't see Cespedes getting offered a Wright-sized contract and certainly not for numbers north of that.
- he'll turn 30 this October, already a year older than Wright was at the time of his extension
- he won't have the good will built up with a team (no matter who he's talking to) the way Wright did w/the Mets. In his 4th season in MLB he's already on his 4th team. Not his fault necessarily, but Boston & Detroit did tire of him pretty quickly.
- he's simply not as good as David at the same time. It's a smaller sample size for sure, but we're talking about career stats where his BA is 30 points lower than Wright's, an OBA that's dow 60, and a slugging that's 20 points less.

I don't see him getting the length or total dollars of a Wright deal. And if he does I don't think I want to be the one paying it.

[Zvon]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Not that all that won't prevent this turning into a Lousy Cheapass Wilpons story.

Or go a long way in possibly winning back the fan base. I say possibly because I won't know how I'll feel until if & when they sign him. I'm too busy preparing myself for the disappointment when they don't.

[Edgy MD]

I don't imagine I'll be disappointed either way.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

100 cranebucks says he won't sign here